


Dreams of rains and sea

by AbelsGrave



Category: Pentagon (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gods & Goddesses, Hui/Hongseok/YanAn/Yuto are siblings, Jinho is a witch, M/M, Mythology - Freeform, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Yuto as a sun god, check the authors note for additional warnings just in case
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-02
Updated: 2019-07-29
Packaged: 2019-08-14 10:59:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 16,921
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16491263
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AbelsGrave/pseuds/AbelsGrave
Summary: Gods do not need sleep and yet, Yuto finds himself going back to dreams filled with a distant sea.Yuto is the son of the Sun. Hyunggu the son of the Sea.





	1. One.

**Author's Note:**

> back on my self indulging mythology bs! little disclaimer: i am taking inspiration from various myths and my very owns. i have been thinking of writing this since i've read madeline miller's circe this summer while traveling in greece. i could only dream of writing like she does but eh
> 
> ps: english isn't my first language. i tried my best.  
> ps bis: pls i hope any of this makes sense

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuto dreams.

The skies in his dreams were never cloudy. They were made of what made Yuto: light and fire and eternal blues. Before him laid the sea, almost white under the bright sunlight. Underneath his fingers, hot sand beaten by summer days that could not burn him - neither in his dreams nor when he was awake, for he was one of the Sun’s offsprings.

Something touched his forehead, coming from another place that those shores. Leaving his dream behind, his eyes opened to find his three brothers in his room. Hongseok was next to him, gently brushing his hair off of his face.

“We wanted to jump on the bed but Hongseok isn't funny,” Hui whined, smile showing teeth. He was sitting on the edge of the bed. Standing up next to it was Yanan, fingers playing with the threads of gold of the bed curtains.

As much as gods did not need sleep, they loved to. For as blessed as they were, it was a pleasurable break in their eternity. So he answered, "I am bored."

He did not say that sleep called to him, made him ache for it. Everytime, he dreamt of the sea and summer sun and he would walk on the shore, never touching water, but yearning for it. The waves came closer, but he could never feel them on his bare feet.

Their father’s golden light was favoring the bright red of Hui’s hair and the rich brown of Yanan’s; Yuto wondered how long he had been lying down on his bed.  
Hui crawled on it until he made himself a place between Hongseok and Yuto. And Yanan mimicked their older brother with a hastiness that made Yuto chuckle. Instinctively, he scooted closer to them; he could feel their warmths and scents and his own light was drawn to them. Hui was a summer child, vibrant and dizzying, heady smells of water on hot burning earth and pines. Hongseok was a true spring sun: strawberries on plump lips and playful rays of sun, a welcoming warmth after winter’s siege. Some years later, in that eternity that was them, came Yanan with his golden kisses on reddening trees, cardamom and sweet wine on his sharp tongue and voice as clear as rising winds.  
Hui was braiding Hongseok’s ashy blonde strands. Yuto rested his head on his summer brother’s arm, their soft chatters filling up the space, an echo of the back and forth of waves on sand and he tried hard not to fall back asleep.

“I wonder what you dream about.” Even if Yuto could not see Yanan’s face right now, he could paint his brother’s pensive face.

Hui turned towards him, curiosity shining in his eyes but Hongseok was quick to dispel any further questions.

“Come on, let's go eat cherries at Jinho's,” Hongseok said. Yuto’s gaze followed his movements.

After sitting up, Hongseok stretched slowly. Hui and Yanan did not seem to listen so Hongseok pushed Yanan gently.

“Hey,” Yanan protested, almost falling off the bed.

“Come on, let's go,” Yuto offered, getting up too. “Soon there will be none left and you're going to complain.”

“You can go and bring some if you love us,” said Hui, playful. But it did not work on Hongseok who climbed above them, almost crushing Yanan’s body to get up and out.

“I'm going to eat them all. Maybe ask Jinho to make some pies only for Yuto and me.”

“We're not children,” Yanan rolled his eyes at the empty threat.

Stopping by the door, Hongseok threw a last glance before leaving. “Sure. You coming, Yuto?”

Yuto nodded. He felt his brothers’ eyes on him. He left them in the room to catch up with Hongseok who was waiting for him in the corridor of whites and obsidian and gold.

“I give them a few minutes,” Hongseok said.

The two brothers passed their father’s halls. As they reached the golden gates of their home, Yanan and Hui came running after them. Hongseok was already holding Yuto’s right arm, so Hui claimed the other and with Yanan deciding to hold Hongseok's free hand and the four of them went.

 

The sun was late to set that day. Punctuality had never been one of his father’s traits. The cherries that grew behind their friend's home painted all of their lips and Yuto’s mouth tasted of their sugar each time he swallowed.  
Lying on his back, Yuto watched Jinho move as he was sitting on Yanan’s shoulders to pick more cherries, the two of them standing tall against the sky.

“You could help,” complained Yanan, fiery golden eyes directed to his brothers lying on the grass.

Hui opened one eye, unimpressed. “You're the one that wanted more. Yuto and I are fine for now.”

Yanan’s lips were tight; their older brother made a fair point. He looked at Hongseok pointedly.

“You’re taller,” Hongseok defended himself.

Yanan scoffed. “If I see you eating any, you won't see the end of summer.”

“Empty threats.” Hongseok waved his hand. “But I’d like to see you try.”

Yanan took a step forward. Jinho tottered, a yelp escaping his mouth.

“Make me fall and I'll turn you into trees myself,” Jinho warned, heels digging in Yanan’s sides. His voice went deeper when he was angry. “Hongseok, if you want cherries, come hold the basket.”

Not without complaining, Hongseok obeyed. It was no secret between them that Jinho could never truly harm them; it would be pure madness for they were too powerful and the Sun itself would punish him. But he was still a witch, quick-witted and knowledgeable in ways that most gods could not fathom. As children of forest nymphs and the god of winds, they were deities of a particular breed. Their powers lied in a different place; like most deities, it came from intuition. Unlike most deities, it had to be bred and cultivated, years of building knowledge through trials. In that, Yuto feared them.  
Jinho got off of Yanan’s shoulders, reaching solid ground with relief.

“You’ve eaten so many of them already,” Yanan yelled as Hongseok spat out a cherry pit on the ground.

They fought for the basket until Hongseok began running, a hot Yanan on his trail. Jinho sighed before sitting next to Yuto. In his very own silence, Yuto’s mind had begun walking the path of dust and dried earth they came from, down the hill and past the Sun’s palace, towards the sea.

“Are you sleeping with your eyes open now,” Hui asked. Yuto turned his head towards his brother, meeting curious golden eyes.

“No, I am not,” said Yuto, blushing. Hui laughed. “I am not sleeping!”

And as if to convince him, he sat up. He noticed Jinho’s staring at him. Jinho tilted his head, eyes boring into Yuto’s. It was brief; Yuto looked away quickly, aware of what Jinho was trying to do.

“It’s nothing,” insisted Yuto, uncomfortable under his friend’s gaze.

“Do you sleep often,” Jinho asked, hand reaching to brush Yuto’s black hair off his eyes.

“He does,” Hui exclaimed. He was sitting too, now, curiosity pulling the corners of his mouth into a smile.

“Yes,” he admitted. “I’m bored these days. It passes time.”

His response was curt and Jinho frowned slightly. He feared that his voice was too lost in the sea behind his lids. Then, Jinho’s shoulders relaxed and he waved his hand.

“Come here more often then, if you are that bored. My plants need tending and I could use some help.”

“If I helped you, could you teach me witchcraft?” Hui asked, bright-eyed.

Relief washed over Yuto as he was no more the object of conversation. Hui’s forwardness made Jinho laugh. “I could. But I do not think you would have the patience for it, summer sun.”

Footsteps followed those words. Yuto watched as Hongseok and Yanan finally came back next to them. Their truce was red lips and an almost empty basket between them. The late afternoon rays kissing their skins indicated that his father would soon be home.

Before leaving Jinho, the latter pulled him into a hug.

“You do not need sleep and sleep bores gods eventually,” he whispered to him. “A dream is calling you, isn’t it?”

Yuto’s stunned silence sufficed. Getting his answer, Jinho parted with him and sent him home.

He kept giving in to dreams of azure skies and his father’s light turning the sea to white. Dreams crashed into him like waves were hungry for sand. Yet, he still could not touch the white waters and the white waters would not touch him; it avoided his flesh and shadow. He was angry at the sea playing with him - it came closer and closer the more he dreamt but the second he thought he’d feel its wetness on his skin, it withdrew itself quickly, going away until Yuto could not see it anymore. He woke up each time, throat as dry as his feet and hands and the sand when the sea disappeared. No water nor wine could quench his thirst.

 

Summer storms were prayers that rain gods heard. Only, this time, when thunder broke skies, no rains were sent to soothe lands. This lasted for five long days.

“What is happening, father,” Hongseok asked the Sun at his table.

Gods and nymphs’ chatter echoing through the gold and marble walls as they dined stopped with Hongseok’s brazenness. Eyes turned to the Sun and his second born whose face was of a glowing determination; but Yuto knew him well and in that hot gaze burned fear. The Sun’s golden eyes were unwilling to give answers. The heavy silence was not lifted until he spoke.

“I won’t bear silence at my table.”

Voices filled the halls louder than they did before. Yuto reached under the table for his older brother’s hand, ignoring the scowl on their father’s face. The Sun’ anger was never to be fed, Yuto learnt in the thousands of years he had been living. The brontide could not be drowned by the voices of the gods and Yuto stole a glance towards his father whose attention was now set on a beautiful napaea. The flames would be fed in other ways tonight.

“Perhaps he doesn’t know,” Yuto thought out loud.

They took refuge near the pond in the court that Yanan once dried down as he was racing Hongseok, the swimming competition turning into a simple running race that Yanan still failed in the end.

“He knows,” Hongseok replied without the trace of a doubt in his voice. Hui nodded, throwing a pebble in the water. “He travels the skies every day and meets darkness every night. How could he not?”

Yuto did not argue back. His eyes kept drifting to the skies each time lightning tore blackness apart.

 

Thunder died down after a few more days. The rains fell and offerings from humans filled the air for days. Yuto slept less because he did not want his brothers to ask more questions. There was still a sea that would not touch him and hot burning sand under his fingers. The sea was no more white under the sun; only the white of foam on blue waves remained. In the horizon, grey clouds were eating the blue above Yuto's head as well.

The second winter after Yanan's birth, the Sun pierced through white stubborn clouds. On that same night, when the Sun ran his course, Yuto pushed past the darkness that was around him to lay his eyes of light on his three older brothers who welcomed him with an ever growing love. From them, the world expanded.  
His home was on an island that Yuto knew by heart, deep forests and unwelcoming beaches that mortals’ ships rarely crossed unless the winds of fate carried them there, alive or not. Many gods and nymphs flocked to the Sun's palace; seeking his company and good grace between the white exterior walls. Some were relatives, cousins with hair as white as the Moon’s and skin like a beautiful night, children born from their father’s and nymphs hoping to carry another son of the Sun; only to birth children with the faintest of gold in their hair. Some were not but hoped to be. For to wed any offspring, even bastards, was a privilege to most. They were all like moths, lesser divinities than the Sun and the four of them. They could only stay as long as Yuto’s father allowed it.

Yuto's mother, just like his brothers' before him, was a goddess of poetry and music. She was smart and ambitious. She whispered lauds for the Sun in humans’ ears that they sang throughout lands. The songs reached the ears of the praised god, and for the Sun only loved things that revolved around him, she won him over. He gave her four sons and the glory that went with it. Perhaps the Fates found great pleasure in her stunning performance, and, thus, granted her that one wish. She birthed four sons and no more, but it was enough for her. Motherhood was only an ideal to create art from. The practicality of it was nowhere near as glorious and worthy of her. Songs about the Sun died down on her tongue after Yuto was born.  
She had a thousand voices to go with her thousands of words but no warmth in them for Yuto’s brothers and him.

“You do not shine as much with us around,” Yanan told her once, clicking his tongue. Her neck reddened in fury.

She left their home a few years later with odes for a human king that the thunder gods favored; the son of this king would bring great glory and renown to this kingdom.

Of all, she hated Hongseok and Yanan the most: their tongues were quick and sharp and their tricks far more brilliant than hers ever were. They learnt from her womb the way and weight of words. Of Hui, she feared his fury; she had once, when Yuto was in his infancy - a short period of time in a god’s life - made him cry with vicious words. Her eldest’s anger almost melted the skin off of her face. To Yuto, she did not talk much. In reality, she could not have approached him with his older brothers around. He, himself, had never been very interested in her either. Hui had told him that she despised them all for the glory they took from her. Centuries passed with her no more in the gardens and under his father’s dais. He could not miss her for she had been nothing but blackness before his first breaths.

 

Yuto woke up from a sea as dark as the skies above his head. It was night still, and clouds were obstructing his aunt's light. It was pouring outside. The hammering of the rain on overheated soils broke through the palace's walls.  
He got out of his bed to find his brothers. Yanan was not in his room, neither were Hongseok and Hui in theirs and so he headed to his father’s halls. The palace felt empty, his footsteps the only sound he could hear aside from the rain. The air around him still smelled of sea salt, just like in his dreams. As he stepped closer to the halls, a hand seized his arm and he almost yelled before he recognized Hongseok’s warmth.

“You scared me,” Yuto said, a hand on his chest. Hongseok gave him an apologetic smile. “Where are the others?”

“Someone came in the middle of the night. They wanted to speak with Father.”

Hongseok did not add to that and tugged on Yuto’s arm, dragging him behind. Yuto was still groggy from his dream and so he followed without a protest. He said nothing, until they stepped foot in the court and he felt the rain hitting his skin.

“Why are we going there?”

But Hongseok wasn’t paying attention to his words and they kept walking at a fast pace. At one point, Yuto recognized the trees on his way as well as the dirt under his feet: they were on the path that led to the beach. The closer they got to their destination, the more vivid was the smell of the sea. The rain was still strong and warm on his skin. Eventually, he saw two figures hiding behind rocks. The moonlight highlighted vibrant red hair and he knew who it was.

“I don’t think we should be here,” Yuto whispered once he arrived near his brothers.

Yanan gestured for him to keep it quiet and to look ahead and so Yuto obeyed.  
There, on the shore, was his Father, golden skin glowing under his sister’s light. In front of him stood a goddess he had heard of. White eyes like the foam of the waves she ruled; it was no other than the Sea herself. Se looked young, Yuto thought, far more than the Sun himself. But her kind was known for their youthful faces, smooth skins like tamed waters.

“Why would I?” asked the Sun. He did not sound pleased.

Yuto felt Hui’s hand on his arm and he turned his head towards his brother. But Hui was too immersed in the scene.

“This is the last place he will search,” the Sea said, calm but something in her voice gave Yuto chills.

“I do not care what he does to your son.”

The words stung in the air. Yuto drew a sharp breath.

“Save your cruelty for those who fear you,” said the Sea, her white eyes turning grey. She then smiled, showing teeth. “I helped you conceive your sons.”

“The Fates gave us four sons,” the Sun replied. Slowly, his skin was turning white in anger.

“The Fates will gladly take them away from you,” the Sea laughed and the waves’ crashing sound grew stronger. “What a great play it’d be for them. The Sea’s son taken away from her by Thunder and the Sun’s children taken away from him in retaliation.”

Yanan gasped and Hongseok shook him a little, glaring at him. Yuto found Yanan’s hand and held onto it. Thankfully, the waves and the rain drowned the sound and the two gods on the shore did not hear them.

The Sun was now glowing white. No drop of rain could reach him; they died before even landing on his skin.

“You will not touch them,” he threatened but the Sea did not flinch.

“Then, I suppose we have reached an agreement.”

The waves stilled and only the rain filled the space. Yuto watched his father’s halo falter and he knew that he had lost.

 

After that, they scampered off to Jinho’s home before risking getting caught. Skin wet and full of sand, Jinho let them bathed in his clear river to get rid of the fragrance of their curiosity. All four of them were silent, deep in their thoughts. Yuto looked at the water he was deep in and shuddered.

“So, this is why the thunder broke for days,” said Jinho once he heard the story.

Hui nodded. Sitting next to Hongseok, Yuto’s mind was going from the sea in his dreams to the sea down the path, and he felt that same yearning. He looked around Jinho’s small but comfortable home. A fire was crackling in the hearth, making up for the lack of light in the room; the door and shutters of the window were still closed. On the walls were aligned figures and shadows of pots and vases containing dried plants and fruits, venom from snakes and nymphs’ strands of hair and many more things with properties that Yuto could never remember. The air smelled of wood, fresh herbs and rain. And still, in the back of Yuto’s throat, lingered the taste of salt.  
On the table, Jinho was still grinding and cutting stems, hands precise and so assured for he had been growing his knowledge for far more longer than the four of them had even been born.

“I don’t think I have ever seen a water god,” Hongseok thought out loud. “Father do not like them.”

“Oh, they do not like him either,” Jinho stated.

“They are cunning,” Hui echoed their father’s words. Yuto had heard these words a million times. “Cunning and deceitful.”

“The most powerful and skilled witches are born from them. They are, indeed, powerful gods themselves. Your father does not like rivalry,” said Jinho before closing his eyes and whispering something none of them could understand.

“Unless they’re river or waterfall nymphs,” Yanan added. “Then he fucks them and thinks it’s a secret.”

“Yanan,” Hui lifted his voice. Jinho was now laughing, spell forgotten.

Yanan rolled his eyes. “Please, I’m not disrespecting him when I’m just stating the truth.”

While his brothers fought, Hongseok nudged Yuto’s shoulder. His eyes seemed to ask if he was alright and Yuto gave a smile.

“I did not know, that the Sea helped in our creation,” he simply said. He had not heard of the story.

“The Fates called Mother in a dream,” explained Hongseok, shushing Yanan and Hui’s bickering. “There is a spell that only witches born from the Sea know but are forbidden to use unless the Sea allows them to. The Fates told mother that she would have to find one of them and beg for their help.”

Yuto frowned. “But why would she allow it? She doesn’t seem to care much about Father.”

“Perhaps it is because the Fates commanded her to.”

The goddess of the sea had mentioned them. As powerful as the Sea was, Fates ruled all destinies. Her decision could not have been of her entire own volition.

Light spilled in the room as Jinho opened the door and they all realized that the rain had died down and the night was no more.

“Go home now,” the witch told them. “Your answers are not here and I have work to do.”

 

Their reach their father’s palace an hour later, walking slowly through the woods Jinho hid himself in. Their father was gone for the day but they could feel his gaze on their necks and they wondered between them, in the shade of trees and hushed voices, if he had seen them that night.

“I do not think so,” Yuto rationalized, fingers digging in the flesh of his folded arms. “He would have come to Jinho’s if he had.”

This was enough to convince his worried siblings to resume walking.

 

They did not see him all day but he was in all the gods and nymphs’ conversations. No one had seen the water god and it was clear that the Sun was keeping him in a room, somewhere, and that he was not to go out for the time being. Rumors and mean laughters and misplaced words were all Yuto heard throughout the day. Because he did not want to partake in this, he escaped the tattletales; soon, he was on the shore, looking at dark grey skies. The waters were not so far away, this time.

 

He found his brothers sitting under their father’s dais, eating grapes and drinking wine. Their father was not present but Yuto did not ask and sat down with them.

“Were you sleeping?” Hongseok asked, letting him drink in his cup without a protest. Yuto nodded. “We went back at Jinho’s to pick the last cherries.”

Before he could say that they should have woken him up, Yanan was presenting him with a basket of shiny red fruits and he smiled. “We waited for you.”

He thanked them, elated, and started eating right away, putting the cherries in the center, so they could eat together. He needed to thank Jinho, he thought. They chatted about Hui getting angry at Yanan for making him fall as he was carrying him on his shoulders and almost burning down an entire tree.

“Hui was leaning against the tree after he fell and admonished Yanan,” Hongseok explained. “Jinho smelled burning wood from his kitchen. I think he banished us from his lands for some time.”

Yanan and Hui glanced at each other and shuddered, and Yuto laughed so hard that he felt himself get warmer. His booming voice was the only thing that was heard in the room. An odd silence followed. His brothers did not seem to notice it and they kept talking, until the echo of their own voices reached their ears and they stopped too. Yuto was already looking behind Hongseok who turned around, following his gaze.  
The Sun had finally shown up to his halls. There was an anger in his eyes, turning them almost blue, but no one noticed and it was probably why he was irritated. Next to him walked a white haired stranger and there was no doubt as to who he was. Yuto tried not to stare at him but it was too hard not to, and so, just like everyone, he did. Their father introduced him to the many gods and nymphs, it seemed. Each time, the son of the Sea offered a smile and Yuto was surprised to see a few gods stunned. After a while, the Sun reclaimed the comfort of his throne under the dais. Yuto felt his heat.

“He’s a really pretty one.” The thickness of his father’s voice betrayed his very own interest. Yuto felt out of place and suffocated. “I’m not surprised that the thunder god wants to fuck him.”

Giggles were heard in the room and the Sun chuckled, sarcasm dripping. “I am supposed to hide him but now I wonder if I shouldn’t hide everyone from him.”

Yuto lifted his head. The water god was already at ease among the crowd. He was sitting on a couch, whispering into someone’s ear. Their eyes were glossy and their cheeks were red.

Somewhere, somehow, he found the courage to speak and ask. “What's his name?”

“Hyunggu,” his father replied. Nothing betrayed Yuto’s voice. “His real name is Hyunggu and that's how the Thunder knows him. Son of a downpour and the Sea. It is said that humans call him Kino and this is how you will all speak of him outside of these walls. He is here under my protection. He is not allowed to go past the gates.”

“Is everyone forbidden to touch him or does it only apply to that one persistent god?” Hui joked.

Yuto hit his brother discreetly but the Sun was already laughing. “The Sea never said anything about that. But he’s a water god, my son. Let others be fools.”

Despite his own words, Yuto recognized the glint of lust and hunger in his father’s eyes. Discomfort twisted his guts and he got up. No one saw him leave, eyes following the new god. And because he had not much to do, Yuto slept.

 

Days faded away. Hyunggu was often seen near the outdoor pools of sea water that his mother requested for him. Gods and nymphs sought his company. They sat with him and drank wine from cups and for some, shared his breaths in his pools or his bed. Gods and nymphs and even his brothers. Hyunggu left no marks on his brothers’ skin but the four of them held no secrets between them either. The light in their eyes when they left Hyunggu was comparable to the sparkling sun on waters. The smell of rain and salt on their skins was unmistakable.

 

Came a day when the Sun declared that one of his daughters was to marry a victorious king that the god of War favored. She was the daughter of a goddess of breeze and the Sun. There was not much of him in her. Only a few golden hair in the soft brown. She was quiet and kind, Yuto had played with her a few times in the few weeks they called childhood.  
The War was easily provoked. The Sun offering his daughter to this human was cruel but smart, for humans and their kings were easily bribed and influenced. They turned their hearts to other gods in a blink of an eye. This would be no exception. This king would abandon the War for the Sun and in return, the War would abandon his favorite to find another one not so far away. He would bring that opponent to his former worshipper, Yuto predicted in the silence of his mind and perhaps, this time, this king would fall.  
When this was announced, Yuto and his brothers were sitting under the dais, their father on his throne of obsidian. There were no tears shed but there was pain. The flowers she had just culled wilted in her blessed trembling hands and those were her only words. She accepted her fate with a resoluted bow of the head that pained Yuto. Her future was to bear children to a bloodthirsty man that her father picked as a pawn in a rivalry between two hot-blooded cousins.

“I will have you sent by tomorrow,” the Sun said, waving his hand and she bowed again, turning away.

Gods resumed their eating and chatting. Dead flowers in delicate hands were soon forgotten. Yuto watched his father who was now eating and laughing with great joy. Hongseok poured them more wine. There wasn’t much to do.  
Hyunggu had been there, silently watching from the couch he was lying on as the Sun spoke. There had been disgust and anger curling the side of his mouth, dark eyes turning to a pale grey that made Yuto shiver. From the corner of his eyes, he saw hair as white as the foam of the sea move. Hyunggu got up and he must have said something harsh to his companions for they stopped talking, stupidly taken aback. The water god escaped the room and the palace’s walls, unseen by most but not by Yuto.

Blaming it on boredom, Yuto felt compelled to go out as well and so he did, excusing himself to his brothers whose minds were far gone with wine. Quickly, he followed in Hyunggu’s steps. He closed his eyes, fingers tapping on the sides of his thighs, unsure of what to do. There was a scent in the air: torrential rainfalls after a harsh summer day and ocean sprays.  
Opening his eyes slowly, Yuto moved, mind and body following his senses. There was an odd stillness in him. He walked, for a few minutes, two hours, months, maybe an eternity, he could not have known. When he stopped, he recognized the high trees that were guarding Hyunggu’s pools.

There he was, the treasured ocean and rain born and the Sun’s daughter weeping at his feet. He looked pained. Yuto stayed hidden behind one of the trees of his father's garden. The smell that took him here was all around. The nymph kept crying until Hyunggu made her rise to her feet and he spoke.

“You will have to go. I cannot hide you here,” he said. It sounded like an apology. “But you will do as I will tell you. The night before your wedding, go to the sea shores of your lands or any river. Call for my brother, Changgu.”

“Kino…” she choked out but he shook his head.

“Do not utter my name as you do so. Please, do not. Tell him that the brother he misses sent you. He will know.” Hyunggu smiled. He looked kind and reassuring and her sobs had gone down a bit by now. “He is a witch but do not fear him. His heart is good. Anything that he says, you will do.”

She gasped, then took his hands that she kissed, thanking him. Hyunggu lifted his head, eyes looking for something, before he told her not to go. She needed rest, he said. She did as she was told and Yuto followed her until he saw her no more. When he turned back to watch where Hyunggu was, Hyunggu had taken his clothes off and was now waist deep in the waters. His hair absorbed the light of the moon, it seemed. Hyunggu closed his eyes and immersed himself completely, vanishing under the surface of the waters and Yuto wondered if the god suffered in this home of sunlight and heat.  
It was now a calm and warm night. The moon was full and no clouds hid her in the skies.

“Yuto, please, come out.”

His heart pounded in his chest, the only moving thing in him.

“Do not hide,” Hyunggu repeated. “I like seeing the faces of those I speak to.”

Yuto could not fight his own movements. Hyunggu’s voice pulled him from his hideout. He was there, eyes as dark as the night. He looked content, pleased, almost. The moon was above and Yuto briefly wondered if she could see them.  
His father was right. Hyunggu was beautiful. Yuto averted the dark gaze, ashamed. 

“Your hair glisten even more under the moonlight.” Hyunggu mused. Yuto looked up. Hyunggu was smiling.

“Oh,” Yuto breathed out when he understood. His aunt gave him away.

There was a gentleness in Hyunggu's face. He wasn’t mad at him, Yuto realized.

“What will she do?” asked Yuto, taking a few steps towards the waters. Hyunggu observed him intently as he did so.

“There is greed in her heart and enough darkness. She will surely ask of my brother to kill him.” Hyunggu answered. He moved his arms around, fingertips grazing the surface of water.

“It is madness,” Yuto finally spoke. His voice wavered. He was surprised at how concerned he was. “My father will come to know.”

The water god laughed, deep and loud. “Your father is not the only one who gets to play games.”

This shut Yuto up. Hyunggu had not suppressed his expression as the Sun spoke, had not left the room hoping not to be seen. His voice and words had been clear and strong in the night as he helped the goddess. Hyunggu was not afraid of the Sun.

As he kept silent, Hyunggu stepped out of the water and it whined as he did so. The god whispered something to it and it stilled.

“Your father is cruel,” said Hyunggu, dressing himself again. “But you must know that.”

Yuto did not reply. Hyunggu walked up to him. He moved like waves on shore. Ready to swallow the world whole and Yuto was a part of it.

“You are not, though,” Hyunggu said. He was now in front of him. “Are you?”

Yuto could not move but something in the way he looked at Hyunggu must have given his reply away; the water god offered a smile, kind and honest.

“Something told me I could trust you. You should come to me again.” Hyunggu brushed past him and left. It took Yuto a while to move from where he stood, for his heart spoke of memories that he could not see in the darkness of his mind. He tried, still feeling Hyunggu's scent around him, until he felt the wind on his neck and an odd fatigue. He was a god. He did not need to sleep. But he went straight to his room and he did.

 

Grey clouds had eaten all the blue and the sun of his dream. Yet, the surface of the sea was smooth. Yuto waited for the rain to fall. Everything was calm; the sea was a soft chant in the silence and the wind was only there to carry its voice. Yuto sat on the still warm and dry sand, pulling his knees against his chest, eyes following the graceful movements of the waters in front of him. He sat there, wondering how cold the waters were, and how it would feel like on his skin. He had already bathed in the sea before, playing with his brothers, swimming far away until their feet could not touch ground, confident in their divinity. But this sea never touched him, never tried swallowing him whole and take him far away. Even tide-waters never did; the sea rose and withdrew, finding its way all around him.  
As he sat there, wondering about what he wanted and could not have, he did not feel the cold kissing his feet then fingers. When he felt wetness on his skin that he looked at the sky, expecting to see rain drops. But he saw nothing. His eyes searched, looked around for anything, confusion slowly building. The sea’s voice was around him, louder, until he moved to touch his face and he felt how much heavier his body felt. His eyes finally stopped looking for the skies. All around him was the sea, slowly eating him up.  
He awoke in a jolt, disoriented. He instinctively brought the tip on his fingers against his lips. They tasted so strongly of salt and sand and it frightened him.

Yuto did not meet dreams after that. Whenever he closed his eyes, he could feel the waves slowly eating him up; powerful and yet so gentle. He thought of Hyunggu and he could not help compare these waves to him. There was a confidence in the waters unlike the fire’s that Yuto knew by heart. Perhaps that was what drew his brothers to Hyunggu, and Yuto could not blame them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the story is almost completely written already but i felt like testing waters and dividing it into smaller chapters. i wrote this as it came to me, i guess (which means dont expect it to like,,,, be good ksdjf)  
> thank you for giving it a chance! kudos and comments are highly appreciated. just to know if i can throw the whole thing away or not haha.
> 
> come yell at me on twitter if you want : [@PlNKINO](https://twitter.com/PlNKINO) or on my cc [here](https://curiouscat.me/PlNKINO)
> 
> again, thank you.  
> ♡♡


	2. Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: abuse 
> 
> hello. here i am again. a month later! im sorry!!!  
> ps: yes i love yuto with kitties
> 
> ❤

The Sun rode his chariot every morning and that day was no exception. Yuto was around when his father left, and so he decided to send him off with his brothers. They helped settle his splendid, impatient horses, kissing their manes of fire and hot skins that burned any beings that were not them, and watched them take their father away. Light drizzled on the world as they conquered night and, soon, the ride of their aunt landed at their feet. Her silver and dark stallions nickered and snorted as they did so, eyes as bright as stars they travelled through, a veil of nights behind hooves. The Moon looked irritated.

“The night was rough,” Hongseok sympathized, his hair glistening with the morning dew.

She removed her helmet, stepping off her chariot. “He’s acting like a fool.”

He was, Yuto agreed. The mortals grew worried of the Thunder’s ire. It struck lands and crops, devastated ships. Yuto grew tired of his loudness. The tales of his frenetic searches traveled everywhere through the wind gods. It was all that gods loved; for the misery of others was a dent in the dullness of their days.  
At that moment, the Moon's children appeared to greet their mother, their pale eyes and mouths ready to ask a million questions.

“Where is he now,” one asked, offering an apple to one of the horses.

“Not that far,” the Moon replied. “He came back from the lands of ice empty handed.”

“That is why he has been so mad tonight,” Yanan whispered to Yuto who nodded.

“He’s after this water god like a lovesick dog,” one of them said, sounding surprised.

“I bet he casted a spell on that stupid Thunder but it did not end well,” his oldest cousin whispered, loud enough for Yuto and his brothers to hear. There was bitterness in these words, Yuto felt. “That would explain why he gets everyone in his bed.”

The swirl of hot air around his brothers' silhouettes made Yuto bit his lip. Hui’s eyes were shifting to a seething golden red. Yuto caught their attention by coughing, signaling that a fight was not called for.

“Take the horses in their stall and feed them,” the Moon said, cutting all tension at once.

Black was sipping in her pale eyes. Her children obeyed, heads hung low. Once they were far away, she sighed, looking up to the woken skies.

“This story is spreading all around.” The Moon stopped. She looked troubled.

“He still has a world to turn upside down,” Hui offered, coming down from his high fires.

“The world is not infinite, Hui,” she replied. “And it only shrinks the more gods talk.”

Yuto felt rising questions, heard their waves in the back of his mind as his aunt walked away. His tongue went heavy and his eyelids closed. It was gone as quick as it came. He shook his head and arms before directing his attention away from it and back to his brothers. They were going inside their home and so he followed, relieved the moment went unnoticed.

His father shone on that day but clouds quickly claimed the sky. Yuto went to see Jinho. Alone, this time.  
He found the witch in his garden, near a citrus tree that was too young to produce fruits yet. A grey and white cat was observing Jinho, spread on the white wall the citrus was leaning on. Its yellow eyes fell on Yuto as he approached and only meowed softly when he was near enough. Yuto greeted the animal and stood behind at a polite distance.

“Where are your brothers?” Jinho asked without looking at him. He did not need to as yellow eyes watched for him.

Yuto nodded again. “They thought you were still angry at them.”

“Well, they’re right, I am,” admitted Jinho, turning to face him. His now yellow eyes carried quietness.

Days had passed since his brothers burned down one of his beloved trees but Jinho was not known to forgive easily. He made exceptions for them. They had spilled potions that took days to prepare and ruined many other things with their unskilled and impatient hands. Jinho welcomed them back. It was something about their warmth, Jinho had said once, still brewing with anger after Yanan had broken an entire shelf of herbs by bouncing around. Something about it being addicting and necessary, how it drove him insane when they were too loud and hot, but how fast he missed them when they disappeared. Hongseok had laughed, teasing the witch and for that, Jinho only turned him mute for the remaining of the day.

“They’re smart, sending you first,” Jinho observed before sighing heavily. “Come.”

As Jinho stepped away from the citrus, Yuto could not miss the groove carved in the bark. “What happened?”

“Lightning,” the witch explained and there was sadness in his voice. “Thankfully, this one will be alright. But I can’t say the same for other trees.”

Jinho motioned Yuto to follow him - which he did. The cat jumped to the ground and led the way.

Jinho pushed the wooden door of his home, getting in after Yuto. The familiar smell of herbs greeted him. They heard a soft meow. Jinho rummaged through his bag until he found a piece of chicken that he gave to the cat.  
They sat down at their table and Jinho made him eat medlars he picked earlier that day. The cat was now comfortably sleeping on Yuto’s lap, its paws sometimes digging in his thighs but he did not mind. Jinho was busying himself with work, whispering words so foreign to Yuto.

Yuto was still thinking about the scarred tree. “Can’t you heal the trees that were badly injured?”

“My magic only goes so far,” informed Jinho, getting up. His eyes had faded back to their usual soft brown. “Trees are still living beings. It would take a very powerful witch to revive them.”

“And you’re not?”

Jinho smiled. “That’s sweet of you but I am not born from water.”

The cat shifted a little and Yuto started petting it. Jinho was now organizing his shelves of plants and medicines. It was clear how little Yuto knew about water gods. All he knew about them was how much the Sun hated them. The only one he ever encountered was Hyunggu. And all he even knew about Hyunggu was that he pulled whoever he wanted in his waves.

“What’s on your mind?”

Yuto raised his head, ceasing all movements as he heard Jinho’s voice above his own thoughts. His friend was sitting down now, picking, from the bowl in the center of the wooden table, a medlar that Yuto spared.

“Your brothers are not around to interrupt.” Jinho eventually chose a fruit and started peeling off the skin. The cat on his lap rubbed his head against Yuto's hand to signify that the petting must resume.

“Could my brothers be under a spell?”

There was comfort in the fact that Jinho never looked surprised or weirded out by any questions. At least, he never showed it when Yuto asked questions. Jinho swallowed his bite before answering.

“It would be hard to tell without seeing them.” Yuto scratched behind his fur companion's ears, looking into its pleased yellow eyes - perhaps he was still looking into Jinho's. The witch spoke again. “Why?”

“The god my father protects,” Yuto whispered, for he was not to utter his name outside and had to keep his voice low for the skies not to hear. “He has all the gods in my father’s palace in the palm of his hands.”

“Including your brothers.” When Yuto lifted his head, he found Jinho smiling. “You have not spoken with them about it, have you?”

“I never thought about it until this morning,” he admitted. “My cousin said that he must’ve tried making the Thunder fall in love with him but the magic turned against him.”

“Was it the oldest moonchild?” Yuto blinked, a bit taken aback by the question. Jinho chuckled. “He came to me, not so long ago, asking for a love spell to make this water god fall for him. I refused and he got mad. No witch will grant your cousin that. We are not stupid enough to mess with any powerful god’s children. He’s just jealous and bitter because this god doesn’t want him.”

Words vanished as Yuto processed the information. He remembered now, the bitterness in his cousin’s voice.

“That god is not a witch, Yuto,” Jinho concluded. He got up and the cat in Yuto’s lap opened its eyes slowly from the sound. “He doesn’t need any spell. He's as powerful as you sun sons, and you know how gods are.”

He knew the ones he had been surrounded with; their shameless thirst for all things beautiful and powerful. Their saccharine smiles and gazes directed at his brothers as they grew up were unmistakable. It pleased the Sun to watch them bend and waltz to seduce his eldest. How foolish of them to even try, Yuto thought, for the hope in their hearts only ever met disappointment. Just like the rays of sun, his brothers were hard to catch. Most fell in love with them. He pitied them.  
The cat in his lap was now gone, venturing on the table. That wasn’t love in his brothers for Hyunggu, Yuto found, trying to remember their faces after spending time with the sea god.

“If you are so troubled, bring them to me.”

Jinho’s words surprised him. In reality, Yuto’s concern had faded away. He only ever thought about it when his cousin spoke; the idea that Hyunggu used magic on his brothers had not sat in him long enough for roots to spread. He met his friend’s eyes. Jinho looked embarrassed.

“I didn’t mean to worry you,” Yuto apologized, suppressing a smile. “I’ll be fast.”

The witch waved his hand again as the other started petting the cat, a false nonchalance on his face. Yuto left in silence to find his brothers.

His brothers were nowhere to be found. They weren’t in their rooms nor under their father’s dais. Hui wasn’t bathing in hot burning waters surrounded by wind gods that carried his voice all around with admiration. Hongseok wasn't riding horses in the gardens, training them as nymphs watched him with hunger and the animals in envy. And Yanan was not near the pond, resting soundly while a flower child plucked her sisters to make a crown for an autumn born.  
The sky was turning grey and menacing and the air was getting thicker. As drops fell on warm skin, he remembered that he did not check Hyunggu's pools. Yuto hesitated but there was a witch waiting for him. In the end, his feet moved for him and took him to the olive trees guarding the pools built for the god.

However, his brothers weren’t there either. Hyunggu was. Lying down on the edge of the pool, one of his arm hang above the waters. For a second, Yuto stupidly feared the god would fall in it. He wouldn’t, he quickly corrected himself. The waters could not harm him, just like fire could not harm Yuto. As he thought about that, his last dream came back to him. How the waves touched him. How they licked and nibbled at his skin.  
Perhaps Hyunggu heard the sea in Yuto’s head because he turned his head towards him. He looked a little surprised but mostly pleased. Yuto shuffled on his feet a bit.

“If you’re looking for your brothers, they went to your friend the witch,” said Hyunggu, sitting up.

Oh, thought Yuto, but he wasn’t sure that this sound escaped his mouth.

“I didn’t see them on my way back,” he eventually said but there were many ways to reach Jinho’s house. Many ways the witch made, depending on who wished to visit him. For the four of them, there was only one. One way, unless Jinho decided otherwise. Yuto winced.

“Hongseok was tired of waiting, so he convinced the others to go,” the water god explained with a roundness in his words that lulled Yuto. “They didn’t seem at ease, though. Your friend seems to scare them a little.”

Yuto could not help but laugh. He nodded, shyly. “They harmed one of his trees.”

Hyunggu hugged his legs against his chest, eyes set on Yuto. “He isn’t a water witch, is he?” When Yuto shook his head, Hyunggu offered a sympathetic smile. “I would help, if I could go.”

“But you are no witch.”

Hyunggu’s eyes widened a bit. “I do not need to be one for that.”

“Oh,” he quickly began. “I apologize, I thought...”

“It’s alright,” laughed Hyunggu without mocking him. “You couldn’t have known. It seems that you’ve never met one of my kind.”

He admitted it, embarrassed by his ignorance but Hyunggu didn’t appear to take offense in that.

“Are you afraid of me? You always stay so far away.”

Yuto looked at his feet. He was standing close to the olive trees, his hand on one of them. It wasn’t fear, he told himself. Or so he thought. Yuto wondered if his brothers had reached Jinho by now or if there were still on rocky roads. However, he wasn’t sure he would take the same path. Jinho had nothing against him. When he looked up, Hyunggu’s head was resting on his crossed arms. He looked wounded, and that did not sit well with Yuto. He did not wish to hurt him.  
He left the trees’ side and walked towards Hyunggu. To this day, Hyunggu showed nothing but patience and kindness to him. There was no reason to fear, Yuto argued with himself. He reached Hyunggu’s level faster than he thought he would. Now, he could see the waters, more clearly than the first time he had seen them. Contained in such a small space, they appeared unpleased and uncomfortable. He remembered his last dream. Could taste them, almost.

“It's not mad at you.” Hyunggu's voice brought him back a little. “It’s just a little frustrated. It misses home.”

There was something in that low voice that sounded like the waters inside this pool. Yuto sat down next to Hyunggu, eyes on the waters still. They weren’t too deep. Not enough to be at peace.

“I hope you get to go back home soon,” he whispered, hand caressing the surface.

Suddenly, there was silence. From Hyunggu and from the water that played less with the wind. Surprised, he turned his head towards Hyunggu who looked as taken aback as he was.

“Did I do something wrong,” Yuto asked, fearful.

“Oh no, you didn’t. No. We were just…” Hyunggu paused. He reached for Yuto’s now wet hand. Yuto did not shy away, did not withdraw his hand. “We weren’t expecting this.”

Hyunggu’s skin was smooth and pleasant against his. Not as hot as his, but he wasn’t born from the Sun. It was neither strange nor new and this realization confused him. Hyunggu too, seemed to wonder and marvel.

“I heard gods say you were born in winter.” Hyunggu waited for Yuto’s answer which came in a small nod.

“This is why I am not as bright as my brothers.”

“That is not true,” Hyunggu disagreed, tilting his head to the side. Yuto grew more flustered under his gaze and so he spoke the first words that pressed themselves to his lips.

“The Thunder god struck some of my friends’ trees.”

His hand, which Hyunggu held, fell. Hyunggu’s smile fell too. His eyes darkened with guilt and the waters got agitated. Yuto felt stupid.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean…”

“Your brothers must be waiting for you.” Hyunggu cut him off. “Please, apologize to your friend on my behalf. I did not mean for this to happen.”

Hyunggu did not sound angry. However, there was a clear edge to his voice. The previous roundness faltered. Not knowing what to do, Yuto simply stood up and bowed to the god. But the water god’s eyes were not on him anymore. Once he was far enough, he cursed out loud.

 

When he reached Jinho’s home, his brothers were indeed sitting at their friend’s table, looking battered. Hui’s knees were scrapped and Hongseok’s cheeks had been cut. Yanan’s hair were full of leaves.  
They all looked up as he stepped inside, scrutinizing him until they realized he had been blessed with the usual, nice path.

“Which one was it,” Yuto asked before they could.

“The one where trees do not like anything that speaks,” Jinho answered for them, sitting at the end of the table, content.

“And you know these two,” Yanan grumbled pointing with his chin towards the oldest, eyes like daggers. “They cannot keep it shut.”

The sheer embarrassment on Hongseok’s and Hui’s faces resonated with Yuto in that moment.

 

That night, when he laid on his bed, his thoughts converged to Hyunggu and so he gave in to the dreams that presented themselves as a getaway.  
This time, he dreamed of his very first dreams. Of a far, far away sea. Its shadow could only be guessed from where he stood. His father’s light was strong, his silhouette noticeable in clear blue skies. Yet, nothing in that brought him comfort. He awoke, sad and empty.

In the days that followed, the sea kept its distance in his dreams. He did not hear from Hyunggu, only saw him here and there, alone or with other gods. Hui, Hongseok and Yanan smelled of him as well. Smelled of rain and sea on hot burning days and it was sometimes too much for Yuto to even think about. He did not know what it was about it, could not name the feeling that arose in him. Well, he could. But he chose not to, because for now, it did not make any sense.

 

The wedding of one of the War’s favorites to the Sun’s daughter brought no battle. His father’s cousin, the War, had been drinking and eating with them, and the Sun could not help but boast of his masterstroke. To which the War shook the walls with a roaring laugh.

“What are you so proud of, dear cousin? We both lost that King and that region.”

The Sun had stopped drinking. Skin a pale blue. “What?”

“All I know is that he prays the Sea more than he prays you or I,” the War said, stroking his red beard. “The kingdoms around have always prayed to her. I could not bribe anyone. As much as you hate these water gods, they carry warships so I do not mind conceding a few weak-hearted men to them.”

His father had not said much after that. The news infuriated and stunned the Sun in the same breath. It did, but not for long.

 

That evening was a quiet one. Yuto was under his father’s dais with Hongseok and Hui. Yanan was talking with a forest nymph with big eyes and height that betrayed his hiding shape - tree nymphs were rarely small.

“Water god,” his father’s voice called. Everyone in the room turned quiet. Hyunggu was not present that night. The Sun gestured to some servants. “Bring that bitch and my daughter to me.”

The beating of Yuto’s heart grew louder. Beside him, Hongseok and Hui looked lost. After a few minutes, Hyunggu and the goddess walked into the room. The room was watching them attentively and Yuto did not like that malignant curiosity swelling.  
Hyunggu came before the Sun. He did not bow, unlike the daughter. He merely looked inconvenienced. Yuto recognized something on him but it was hard to think with that tension.

The Sun was a glowing gold. Looking down on Hyunggu with disdain and pleasure. He spoke again.

“I was quite surprised to hear that a war man could turn into a docile husband and king.”

Yuto stopped breathing. The horror on the daughter’s face broke his heart. The Sun gestured for her to get closer. Not without hesitation, she obeyed.

“See, water child,” his father purred, standing up from his throne to take his daughter’s hand. “See how my daughter’s skin is so fragile.”

A scream sliced through the air. Hongseok rose up to his feet but Hui held him down.

“Was it him?” The Sun asked her daughter who was gasping for air. His fire intensified but she could not scream nor speak. Her flesh bubbled and broke, she could not move, could not cry. Yuto’s guts twisted.

“Enough, Sun,” cut Hyunggu. His voice was calm and unimpressed but his eyes were as dark as the deep seas. “I did not intend on keeping it a secret.”

Yuto sent a glance towards Hyunggu begging the god to, at least, fake fear. Yet, Hyunggu did not. The air in the room was unbearable. If any mortals walked in there, they would not last long. The flesh was tearing and burning still for the room to see and hear.

“It was I that helped your daughter.”

His father’s ire left his daughter and Hongseok sprung to help her. He walked to face Hyunggu. Towering over the god, the Sun grabbed him by the jaw. A gasp was heard through the crowd.

“How dare you act against my words? I should give you to the Thunder. I do not care what he wants to do to a whore that a mother cannot tame.” The Sun’s voice thundered in the halls. They all shuddered.

The threat and insult made Hyunggu laugh. “How alike you both are. Mad that a whore will not lay with you.” His voice was clear and defiant. His face was still cold, holding the Sun’s gaze. “Remember, sun god: she will take your sons if the Thunder takes me.”

The Sun lost his grip on Hyunggu. Yuto and the entire room witnessed Hyunggu walk towards the punished goddess. Hongseok still held her as Hyunggu kneeled down. Water enveloped her burnt and painful face as Hyunggu held it in his hands with a gentleness that was nowhere on his face but his eyes. Her skin smoothed out and healed. Then, he rose up, bowing to the goddess to apologize, and walked past the Sun. The doors slammed back behind him.  
When Yuto found back his breath, he realized how white he and his brothers glowed. For once, their Father paled in comparison to them. Not being able to stand it, the Sun left the room. Shamed.

Silence followed until Yanan spoke again with the nymph, loud enough to encourage everyone to do so. Yuto’s chest felt tight and his mouth too dry.

“Yuto,” Hongseok called, still holding the goddess who was now sobbing. “Give her something to drink, she needs it.”

He did as he was asked in a hurry, bringing his cup to her weak mouth. Tension did not ease in him for he knew his Father too well; he would not leave it at that.

 

The Sun’s daughter was sent back the morning after, for he had no wish to keep her. She was a reminder of a game that he lost. They would never see her again and for that, she was lucky, Jinho said when they met with him the day after. Yuto agreed. If the Sun had not been so shocked, he would have punished her for years and years, an eternity of pain for seeking help and not comply with his plan.

Some night after, when the Sun stepped down from his ride, he called for all gods. They marched to Hyunggu’s pools and gathered around. The water god was dancing for a small crowd of infant gods. Their laughters died down as Hyunggu stopped all moves. Yuto looked at his Father who smiled, a deeply wicked smile that did not leave his lips as his fire ate the waters away. Hyunggu did not cry but his pain was obvious. As waters disappeared, Hyunggu hugged himself tight. It was like that fire was burning his own skin, like the fire took all he had before his eyes – and perhaps it was just that, for Hyunggu was so far from his home and what he had. Yuto could not bear leaving him alone but he had to as his Father instructed them to leave them both alone there.

On that same night, he dreamed of a sea he could hear but could not see. He dreamed of one that he felt on his skin but did not lay before his eyes. It drove him mad; not because he couldn't see it, no. It was that he could not stand what he heard: the waves and their heart wrenching sobs.

After that, Hyunggu confined himself to his room. It lasted days, of not seeing him or smelling him. Days, until Yuto sat under the dais and looked at the Sun’s radiant smile. From that point, only his father carried the scent of sea sprays and rain. Yuto’s heart shattered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you again for reading. 
> 
> perhaps this is taking a little bit more time than i thought it initially would (but i do not think it'll be that long. It's supposed to be a quick little thing hum). ive also been busy with work and things and doubting myself a whole lot. i actually didnt expect to get carried away but AH thats what i do, dont i.  
> anyway, tell me what u think about this uwu
> 
> (merry christmas to those who celebrate!! happy holidays to everyone else as well. i hope you're taking the time to rest, do things you love. i wish you the best.)
> 
> twitter acc: [@PlNKINO](https://twitter.com/PlNKINO)  
> my cc too [@PlNKINO](https://curiouscat.me/PlNKINO)
> 
> ❤


	3. Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Growing closer to the gentle waves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> is anyone still there?  
> (im sorry)

Home was an island and its skies. A palace of luminous walls in the center of all and golden gates guarding them. In a thousand years of watching his father rise on his home, Yuto still wondered how the Sun appeared outside of it. For in these thousands of years, the Sun's youngest had never sailed across the seas.  
There was not much for him in other lands his Father would tell him; he knew of the beach in summer time, the smell of warm and humid soils in the ever-breathable forest. His Father’s orchards were full and the grandeur of his home enough to satisfy his pride.

One that had walked the many paths of the world was Jinho's younger brother, Hyojong. He, too, was a witch who could speak the many languages of humans. To gods, humans all sounded the same, or so Yuto thought. That intrigued Hongseok so much that he asked Hyojong to teach him.

“You have to pay attention,” had told Hyojong. “The voice inside of you should not speak as theirs do.”

As much as Yuto marveled at the knowledge, he admitted that they scared him. Their voices were too thin, too fragile and the fear in their eyes sparked uneasiness; he could break them with a gaze, make them tremble with a word. These were not things he aimed for.  
With his restless legs and heart, Hyojong was often on foreign seas and lands. Whenever he came back - when his heart missed home and remembered his older brother’s smile - he was never empty handed. Carefully, he collected seeds for Jinho who cautiously stored them after listening well to Hyojong’s observations. For them to agree to grow so far away from their birthplace, Jinho had to trick and even bargain with them sometimes. Some of them adjusted, others threatened to die if Jinho did not move them from an insufferable neighbor or an inconvenient spot. Jinho was skilled and persuasive; his garden was an incongruous meeting, a crowd of witnesses of a vast world.  
If Hyojong’s bags were full of rare plants, his mind and mouth were heavy with stories. In them were foreign gods and seas so clear that its inhabitants could not hide.

Before them, Jinho and Hyojong's mother only had daughters with another wind god. He was one that rose in tempest and they learnt to speak just like him; with a weight to their words that pushed away and whipped.  
The daughters all drifted away, other horizons calling their names and her mother rarely met them anymore. Wind gods were a fleeting and volatile kind, but she was a gentle breeze. She traveled but always came back, drawn to the lands that saw her grow.  
Then, she fell in love with a shy forest god that showed himself only to her. When she was far away traveling, he turned himself back into the ancient oak in Jinho’s gardens and lived there peacefully, content with the talks of others and the work of his son.

“So, you’ve never seen him?” Hui asked the question the first time Jinho introduced them to the tree.

“Oh, I have. My mother wasn’t as adventurous when she raised us, but he encouraged her to venture. He was there, always, as we were too young. Once we were grown, once Hyojong traveled far, he asked me _‘Would it be okay?’_ and I understood him. He chose these lands and I followed and I built my home around him.”

Before Jinho was to be brought into the world, The Fates came to their mother in one of these rare dreams gods had when Fates spoke to them. They told her that she would birth witches. That if the land winds would rule his eldest son’s heart, rooting it so deeply in the lands that saw him grow, the youngest’s was to be full of the ones whispering mysteries beyond the sea. The dream threw her off. Not because witches were rare and mostly unwanted - that, they were. An abnormality, a cast among gods that was hardly understood. All she minded was the thought of having yet another child going away.  
However, the brothers both had winds and earth in them and _magic_ only they understood. It did not matter that Hyojong’s winds were so strong and Jinho’s feet too grounded. All that mattered was that one would always miss the smell of home and the safety of familiar roads, and the shift in his heart would echo all the way to the oldest of the two.  
Most of the time, Jinho would warn his friends beforehand. Yuto and his brothers understood to leave them alone for a moment. However far their mother was, she would rushed once called. After a while, the breeze would feel her lover tire from all this talking and he would feel his lover’s restlessness.

 

Unlike his older brother, Hyojong did not mind stepping into the Sun’s palace when its owner was away. The Sun’s distaste for their breed was known. His sons’ friendship was never discussed but neither was it approved. The Sun’s judgment came as cutting remarks sometimes, and they would make his brothers’ blood boil.  
It was still day when the witch came to fetch them in the Sun’s home. His hair was a faded peach, and he wore the necklace Yuto and his brothers had gifted him many years ago – it held some of their light so that he would not feel the cold, nor stay in the dark.

“It has been a while,” whispered Hyojong while embracing Yuto. “I have missed you.”

They did not need more and happily escaped their confined boredom to hear the many stories of Hyojong’s journeys.  
  
  
After too many glasses of sweet wine and countless laughter, the night was gently setting down on them. The Thunder's yells had died down and they were taking in the silence of the world among Jinho’s trees. Yuto was lying down in the grass, listening to the soft chatters of his friends and brothers. There was a bit of teasing between them over Yanan's new interest in that tall nymph that the witches knew, for he was a cousin.

“Yanan, stop denying it, a friend told me on my way home,” Hyojong stated, too amused by the autumn sun’s denial.

“And why would you trust that friend?”

“I know wind gods do not hold their tongues very well, but we’re not liars.” Hyojong poured more wine into his cup.

“Don’t break his heart,” Jinho demanded. “He’s a gentle one.”

“Yes, I know,” Yanan replied and was quick to add before any of them could jump.  “But there’s nothing to break here so it should be okay.”

Jinho did not look convinced but did not say much. After a brief exchange with his brother, Hyojong seemed to drop the subject. Suddenly, a growl escaped from above, making Hyojong jump but the rest of them only looked up to the sky with annoyance. Soon after, the rain fell and it fell hard. They ran back into Jinho’s home to find shelter.

“What has gotten into him,” complained Hyojong, hair flattened by the rain once he stepped through the door. “He has been vocal for quite a while.”

“You’ve heard him where you were?” Hongseok asked, sitting down at Jinho’s table, offering his warmth to the youngest witch by letting him lean against him.

After letting out a satisfied sigh, he nodded. “I have been told he was searching for something everywhere. He’s quite pissed off, from what I’ve heard so far.”

Jinho brought more food for them before sitting down next to Yuto.

“You didn’t tell him?” Yuto asked, surprised.

“What?” Hyojong asked, before repeating. “What did you not tell me, Jinho?”

“No, we were always outside and I do not want your father to burn down my house,” explained Jinho, pulling a face. It was understandable.

Hongseok’s aura seemed to emphasize the mischievous glint in Hyojong’s eyes. “Winds only shut their mouths when a higher power threatens them, so that must be important.”

His friend’s prying made him smile. He reached for the slices of apple, dipping them in the honey Jinho brought for them. Hyojong had seen people doing this in one of his many journeys, a few years ago and since he made them try, Yuto could never resist it.

“You are not allowed to speak about it,” Jinho warned. He lowered his voice, glancing worriedly at the door. “You have to promise me Hyo, because not only their father will punish you, but the Sea as well.”

When Hyojong nodded, a little pale, Jinho spoke again.

“The Thunder wants to wed one of the Sea’s kids against her will. And his. He’s been hiding in the Sun’s home.”

“Why would the Sun help the Sea?”

Hongseok replied. “She threatened him to take us. She said she helped us be brought into the world, and so she can take us.”  

The witch’s mouth fell. He let a soft sound and looked at the four sons of the Sun; the mischief in his eyes darkening to worry.

“We’ll be fine,” laughed Hongseok, rubbing the witch’s back. Yuto looked at each other and in a small nod, all smiled. Relief washed over their friend. Only a little, but it was better than none.

“What does he want from that sea child,” mumbled Hyojong. “We know these powerful gods, they easily get bored. He’s been going on for months now.”

That was something Yuto did not think about. It was true: gods were known to love beauty, hunt it but never for too long for their minds were easily distracted. There was no use for them in pursuing the same beauties when the world was so full of them. Something was always shiny and coveted somewhere else. However, the Thunder showed no signs of fatigue. Frustration yes, but not the one that would make any god stop.

“Well, from what I’ve heard, he’s a pretty one,” Jinho said, a smile forming on his lips as he watched the four brothers.

The implication of that look made Yuto reach for another piece of fruit to distract himself. Hyojong, however, had not missed it and laughed.

“Must be something if you're alll blushing this much, kids.”

“We have eyes,” Hongseok conceded. He paused before turning to Yuto. “Only you, seem so uninterested.”

“Well Yuto's been sleeping a lot. He does not have time for that,” Hui joked but it did not make Yuto laugh as he watched the witches frown and look at each other.

“I wonder what he looks like,” Hyojong intervened quickly. “Can I meet him?”

The question was enough to distract his brothers. Hongseok spoke. “I don’t think. We haven’t seen him for a while now. He went against our Father once and it did not end well. Father burned down the seawater pools in the gardens and does not allow him to go outside when it rains.”

“How more cruel the Sun can be,” breathed Hyojong.

Silence followed; a contemplative one. Yuto’s chest felt tight, as if he was about to cry. He did not know why.

 

Another day was ending. The skies showed the last passage of the Sun’s, vivid reds and pinks quickly dissolving into darkening blues. A yawn coming from Hyojong reminded him that they had been here for hours now. Witches, among their many peculiarities, needed sleep. Not like humans did, obviously. Still, magic was draining.

"Would I wither away if my father was to ever disappear?"

The question took the witch by surprise. Him as well. His friend shook his head only after pondering.

"No, you would not. If the millions of stars were to disappear,” started Hyojong. “And if fire would cease to ever exist, then perhaps you would. But I am not sure that even that would kill you.”

“If my father disappeared, I would.”

Hongseok’s laugh rippled on the gentle waves, followed by Jinho’s loud protests. His brothers were helping Jinho cull rare seaweeds and marine plants that he particularly needed. Yuto and Hyojong were sitting a few steps back, watching them mess with the older witch as they splashed fresh water on him.

“No. Unless all of your brothers vanish, you’ll stay. If one day the Sun disappears, the world will still have you four to shed light and keep us alive.”

Yuto felt his friend’s head on his arm and so he lowered his own warmth, making sure no to burn him. These words were kind and encouraging, but he could only smile. His father was the most powerful god he ever encountered. He was light in its purest form, the origin of all; what brought life or destruction. He was the seasons, the days of all gods’ eternity. No stars could rival him. 

“Why is he withering away, then? Water is inevitable, just like my father. So why is he?” 

The question came out loud, but in the faintest whisper. The words came broken and fragile - they were not meant to exist. Unexpectedly, Hyojong understood whom he was referring to.

“When I came to your home, I could not believe how arrid the air felt. More than ever,” said Hyojong. His voice was low, cautious not to be heard. “Have you seen him outside of his room?”

Yuto shook his head. “We used to feel him. Smell him, even.”

“Yuto, do you know why gods and witches born from water are so powerful?” Hyojong asked although he surely knew how clueless Yuto was. “Your father might be light but water is life itself. Their kind know the deepest secrets of all things. Your father knows that. He knows he is not all that is, not all that knows. And he knows that if he allows him to roam his halls, talk with others and be fed by this very thing in them that makes him, he has no control over this god. Your father is weakening him on purpose.”

The lapping of the waves seemed to crash harder, stronger against the shore and the salt burned his face and lips. He looked in the direction of his brothers, their glowing skins unmistakable.  
A thought crossed his mind, one of a catastrophe happening right before his eyes: the deep sea swallowing their luminescence. Yuto’s throat tightened. He would know nothing but darkness. He shook his head, tried dismembering these malign thoughts. The Fates and their weakness for tragedy was widespread knowledge. He did not wish to tempt them. And he did not wish for the Sea to hear.  
The Sun liked to play but it was unthinkable to lose to someone else. He was the center of all, the light that ensured life and the very fire that brought an end to it. No, he never considered retaliation and yet, these waters could swallow his sons whole if they knew what their beautiful child was enduring.  
His eyes wandered around. He did not know, why it was affecting him that much. His father was cruel and it was no novelty to him. No, it wasn’t anything he didn’t know yet, the knowledge fell like a heavy stone in his stomach. He felt ashamed.

Hyojong sensed the emotions rising in him. Before Yuto could drift too far, the witch caressed his hair, calling him back.

“Do not let shame turn your fire cold,” he heard his friend whisper gently. “What he does is his. Only he will respond to that.”

Yuto closed his eyes, trying to look for words but none came. However, Hyojong’s did.

“Do not forget that your heart is good. So let it do good as well.”

  
  
Once home, Yuto noticed how dry it was, the uneasiness and discomfort in gods’ voices. It did not bother Yuto, nor was it a problem for his brothers. But if they paid close attention, they would see that the wind could not travel the heavy air anymore and that the gods were to be found in the gardens more than locked in these dead chambers. And the Sun seemed to know, for his dinners were led by him outside. It was a change of scene, he’d say and gods did love the beauty that these gardens offered. The skies were silent. No signs of thunder above. As he dined with his brothers, he understood Hyojong’s words. He indeed, needed to do good.

  
  
Alone, he marched down to this entity his father hated so vividly. He could not be watched now. His father’s eyes were not to cover the world for another few hours. The Moon was hidden behind thick clouds. There was no light except for him.  
The sea wind grazed by him and the smell of sea spray filled his mouth and throat. Yuto was holding a jar tightly against his chest. Careful not to be seen, he had taken one before servants could take them back after dinner. He then poured the content somewhere along the path on his way there.  
The low tide made him walk far, eyes on the black horizon that could not be distinguished between it and the now dark sea. Unlike the one that filled his very last dreams, the water didn’t shrink back as he walked towards it; it was waiting, soft and patient.  
Once his bare feet went in, he took his robe as fast as he could and walked until he was waist deep into the sea. His own dimmed light wasn’t helping him anything under the surface but he did not fear of any hands gripping him to pull him under. There was no threatening tone in the humming of the sea. He acted fast, filled the empty jar with it. He wished he could stay there a little but he did not want for his brothers to find his room empty.  So as fast as he came, he left, heart beating loud in the night. His skin was completely dry when he entered home. His father’s halls were now soundly asleep for the hours without the Sun were uneventful to most.

  
Hyunggu’s room was in a secluded part of the palace. Lit torches lined the walls, getting bigger as he got closer to where the water god was staying. The air was dry and thick.  
Yuto’s hands were still holding the jar of seawater, hoping it would not evaporate as he walked this unwelcoming corridor. He did not know if it was much, had no idea if it would help, but he hoped it could. He acted on impulse, on what felt possible at the moment.   
His heart was loud and obnoxious as he knocked gently on the door. He heard nothing and he thought that maybe Hyunggu too was asleep. After a few more seconds, he knocked again and this time, he heard a wavering voice in the deafening silence. Yuto could not make out the words but soon after, a voice told him to come in and so did Yuto. 

Hyunggu was sitting there on his bed, naked body covered by the linen cloth, and Yuto saw him well, too well under the bright fire of the torches in the room. He did not miss the tired glassy eyes and dull skin The relief in Hyunggu’s face when he saw him pained Yuto even more.

“I thought it was your father again,” murmured Hyunggu. Yuto tensed visibly. For Hyunggu, he tried not to pay attention to his surroundings; to the visible traces of his father everywhere. Shame was not what he brought.

“Do I disgust you?”

Yuto blinked. If he could feel the burn of the fire, he would, right now under Hyunggu’s gaze.

“No, no you don’t!”

Hyunggu smiled, tilting his head to the side. “Then, do you fear me?”

“No. I don’t think you do.” It took him a second to say. It wasn’t the first time that Hyunggu asked him that. He shook his head. “No, I do not fear you.”

“You say that and yet, you stay so far away.”

It was difficult to fully grasp Hyunggu’s intonation. His voice was not as strong as it was when he came, but it did not lose its calm. He was unequivocal and sincere, almost candid.

He looked at the gap between them. Hyunggu on his bed, looking at him, his white hair fading, surrendering to the the hues of the fire surrounding him. He thought of the jar he was holding against him, feared it would vanish. And so, in a resoluted blow of courage, the fire was reduced to smoke. Night devoured the room, except for him gently glowing.  
The shock could not be missed in Hyunggu’s eyes as he straightened, looking at him with a quizzical look. Yuto took a step, two steps, until he closed the distance between them and presented the jar. Stillness followed, as Hyunggu stared at his hands then at him.

“It is not much. I cannot bring all of your home to you, but I took a little. I hope your mother will not mind,” he found himself explaining, with all his shyness and wobbly heartbeats.

After a few moments, Hyunggu seemed to understand what it was in that jar and his face lit up. The water inside made a sound, as if it recognized who was staring at him and left its temporary room to meet this lost lonely child. The liquid twirled in the airs, kissed Hyunggu’s lips and cheeks and then found its place in the god’s heart. Yuto watched as it went into Hyunggu's chest. His own glow could not even match the beaming smile on Hyunggu’s face.

“Please, stay a little.” Hyunggu asked softly after that, beautiful pleading eyes looking up at him.  

Why would Hyunggu ask, he thought? Yuto had not once thought of leaving him tonight.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i cant believe we had an entire comeback from the boys before i could even post damnksjhfkrjh (how did you like it btw??)  
> also youd think id come back with something better after like uh?? 4 months of not updating lmao but well. life is what it is. 
> 
> however, im determined on finishing this despite my law studies and work draining me that and the fact that im literally the WORST at writing. anyway, if you do come around this small mess of a tale (because it's what i intend this to be, a little tale), THANK YOU.
> 
> feedback is always appreciated btw uwu
> 
> come yell at me on twitter if you want : [@PlNKINO](https://twitter.com/PlNKINO) or on my cc [here](https://curiouscat.me/PlNKINO)
> 
> thank u if youre reading this. it really means a lot ♡


	4. Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Learning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> stream humph!

 

The night was spent in gentle, soft voices until Yuto could feel the rise of the Sun and the weight of the light on the world. 

It had been a while since he had to sit in a room with no sunlight besides himself or his brothers. Hyunggu’s room had only but one window that had been covered and blocked. Yuto had put out the only sources of light; the unlit torches of his father’s pure fire stood less menacingly against the walls. He was a winter child only, but his light was enough for the both of them to see each other while they spoke. 

From this night on, Yuto vowed to visit Hyunggu as much as he could. They had to be wise about their arrangement; the nights were too much of a risk with his father on the ground. The Sun sometimes stayed all night long in Hyunggu’s bed, sometimes left to come back later with a wicked hunger. Dissatisfaction was intrinsic to fire. The Sun was never fully satiated. 

So, Yuto came when his father’s gaze could not see and he was sure that no one needed him for the time being. His brothers never asked where he went - they often assumed he was going to sleep. The assumption was fine by Yuto. 

 

“Thank you. I’ve been meaning to tell you that since the first day you came.” Hyunggu’s words were sincere as Yuto presented him with seawater that let itself die on the god’s lips with no resistance. It was only the fifth time that he visited the water god, now.

This troubled him but he held himself back and only acknowledged Hyunggu’s words with a nod and a smile. Hyunggu did not seem to catch on that.

“Where is your father now?”

Yuto closed his eyes a moment and in this complete darkness, all the light that he was and possessed showed itself in a color he, only, recognized.

“It’s a little past midday. The light is still strong. We have time before he sets.” He answered, eyes opening on an expecting Hyunggu sitting on the bed, at a distance that did not allow them to touch; Yuto feared his heat would be too much for Hyunggu. After all, he suffered enough at the hands of the Sun.   
“Your brothers told me you were the most gifted!” Hyunggu said, impressed.

Even in the darkest room, the Sun’s children knew when their father awoke and when he was bound to set. Of all four brothers, Yuto’s guessing was the best. Childhood games sometimes consisted in staying in quiet dark rooms and competing on who guessed better; they would draw curtains in their room, hide under sheets with small hands pressed on their closed eyes. It quickly became boring, for Yuto’s senses grew stronger and he began to win every game. The only times he did not was when he purposely offered a wrong answer; despite the effort, his brothers knew him, his naive heart, and the warmth of his lies all too well. 

“They could be lying,” Yuto offered, voice small and eyes averting Hyunggu’s.

“They have told me many things about you as well and, so far, they have never lied.”

Words pulled him in, made his eyes stop wandering in the darkness that owned parts of the room. It seemed like Hyunggu’s eyes had been waiting for a while when he met them; the infinite darkness of the deep seas shone under the soft light of a winter sunborn. Yuto thought that he had already seen this, somewhere, somehow. 

“But now that you are here, is it true that Hongseok was born speaking human languages?” 

The contemplation stopped with Yuto’s roaring laughter once the question settled in.  

“I guess this is a lie, then.”

As Hyunggu shared more of his brothers’ little harmless lies, Yuto learned that even all their dazzling and prized beauty did not suffice to get Hyunggu’s favors. Throughout the conversation, Yuto forgot about the familiar, deep black seas that were Hyunggu’s eyes.

 

Dreams of sea did not cease. Murmurs kept calling his name and he gave in because part of him needed the swish and smell of a world that only existed to him. Water was never far. It was growing and swelling before his eyes, moving mass of secret chants the fire in his blood could only try to decipher.

He was no stranger to that fictitious sea. She knew his face and he knew perhaps a quarter of hers - it was already so much. 

 

The next time he visited Hyunggu, the conversation started with another thank you from Hyunggu. Then it drifted to a land they were building in this room with small, shy questions about each other; Yuto brought most of the timidity. Hyunggu’s curiosity was unabashed but void of ill intentions; far from what his father and all the other gods painted water gods to be. There was no pleasure of deceit.  

“The waters were rough today,” he replied after Hyunggu wondered about the mood of the sea. Yuto could still feel the grip of the waves pulling and pushing around him.  

Hyunggu’s lip parted, looking concerned. “Were you not scared to get in?"

 "It was fine!" He replied in a heartbeat. Embarrassed, he spoke again, not as eager this time. “I was afraid but it went fine.” 

Hyunggu's pretty laugh rained on the room. Yuto found himself touching his skin. It was as dry as it always was; the disappointment that followed had the faint ring of shame. 

"I know you are strong. Still, be cautious of the sea when she looks troubled," Hyunggu advised him with kindness. "I do not think my mother will do anything to you but she sometimes lacks judgement in who she pulls in her grip." 

He promised to be careful. Hyunggu nodded, a satisfied expression on his face. Yuto thought that even if they had been in pitch darkness and no light stemmed from his core, his eyes would find their way to Hyunggu.   

“For awhile, I thought you hated me.”  

They were sitting on the bed, face to face. Hyunggu was not afraid to get close to him. In fact, Hyunggu did not fear much. He was like the horizon sea, swallowing the sun whole.

There were bruises on the god’s throat and collarbone. Darkness around his eyes. Yuto wondered if the poor lightening in the room made them deeper or if pain carved its way into Hyunggu’s flesh. He thought of his father in this room, of his scathing hot skin on Hyunggu's. His heart limped, tripping on terrifying thoughts.

“Your brothers sought after me. They were curious.” Said Hyunggu. “Were you not?”  

Yuto thought for a second before declaring, with an embarrassed honesty. “I was. But you were never alone for long and I did not wish to bother you.” 

The room was quiet for a moment. Looking to the ceiling, Yuto thought of the look in his brothers’ eyes that very first time they saw Hyunggu; hungry and playful. How wrong he was to think that Hyunggu would be pulled to his brothers and be a mere game - it that was what all gods did and all that he ever saw happening. 

“I wish we would have spoken sooner, Yuto.” 

“I wish I came to you before,” he apologized only to be met with Hyunggu waving his hand. 

“My ego made me wait for you to come. Gods that surround me never liked me. In the lands your father rules, I am despised.” Something in Yuto’s expression must have betrayed his confusion. Hyunggu shook his head and laughed. “You did not come to me easily. And so I thought, he must despise my kind more than all of them.” 

Yuto said. “But I do not hate you. I promise.” 

There was a silence after the honesty - a brief moment, a breath in the stretch of time.  

“You are a winter sun,” started Hyunggu who looked around the room for a moment before settling his attention back onto him. “Everyone speaks of you as such. And all the other gods say, that you are distant and cold. That you were born in the winter, and thus catching you is impossible.” 

Surprised, Yuto frowned. However, Hyunggu did not wait for the questions to rise. He continued. 

“Only your brothers know you. They told me, that you are shy and kind and you give space when it is needed. They are right. I like your warmth,” admitted Hyunggu, voice like the faint memory of a dream Yuto once had. “You and your father’s court fail to see that the winter sun is a blessing in the coldest of days.” 

There, Yuto experienced a thing that he thought was impossible; a fire so powerful that it burned, right there, in his chest.  

Words did not come; their legs gave up on them as they walked down the cobbly path of the mind. But he did not mind being speechless and he did not mind that his hand reached for Hyunggu’s. The contact did not make Hyunggu flinch. No, Hyunggu gave him a smile that said a million things but in the fire of his heart, Yuto’s vision was too blurry.

  


Peace reigned on Jinho’s garden where summer was in full bloom. Yuto found Hyojong sitting under a growing citrus, sewing pieces of leather to make a bag for Jinho. The witch greeted him warmly, telling him to sit next to him and so Yuto did.

Not long after, in the last strokes of the sun, a golden fire on the garden, rose the smell of freshly picked sideritis. When he looked up, Jinho was in front of them, holding a jug in his hands, his old bag on his shoulder.  
  
“Are you hungry? I have fresh bread and cheese. I did not think you would come today.” 

Yuto shook his head and tapped the ground next to him. “Do not worry.” 

“Where are your brothers?” Jinho asked, placing the jug down before taking place near them. 

Hyojong let his work down to pour himself a cup of fresh water that smelled of lemon and mint.  

"Wooseok invited Yanan to spend the evening with him." He paused, accepting the water Hyojong gave him. “Then Hui and Hongseok invited themselves." 

"Yanan must not be pleased."

"He is furious." Yuto agreed. There were certainties in his life; one of them was that his older brothers were not discreet in nature. "So I thought that one of us had to stay back. "  
  
“I guess we won’t hear Yanan for a while then.” Jinho hummed, taking his bag off of his shoulder to get the fresh mountain tea out of his bag. 

Anger always stole Yanan’s voice. Words dried up in its incommensurable heat but it was nothing that Yuto could not handle for he knew of fire and its sham; it grew, superb and menacing to others and nothing else. Nothing more than a beautiful flame that Yuto would blow on - then words flooded in, still a little warm of a past resentment.   

“Yesterday, thunder struck a young man’s heart.” Hyojong’s voice rose above the dried river of Yanan’s anger that was to come. It was sudden, almost out of place.  “I met this young man at sea once; I was lost and tired but he found me. He brought me to his parents’ table and fed me. I learned there that he was the King’s son. This son’s family were fishers, hard workers among the ones they ruled. And because they only ever took from the Sea what was needed, only, she favored them.” 

The heavy weight behind Hyojong’s voice made Yuto listened carefully in respect; he would now remember the unknown dead in good words. No face but a soul. 

“I heard it through the winds this morning. The Thunder thought the Sea’s child was hidden there and he growled and terrorized their sky for days, struck their boats and cattle and so the King advised his people to stay home and not speak a word of the Sea or any of her children. They did as they were told; until they began to starve. The fear and the suffering broke the king’s son heart and so he went to pray to the Sea and burn the last of his wheats for her to hear. She did but not in time. They found him on the shore, lifeless; what was once beauty had been scarred and burned beyond words.”

“Humans pay a greater price to our excess.” Jinho said, kind eyes on his brother.  

Hyojong’s hands stopped sewing for a moment. “If only we could erase this god’s face from the Thunder’s mind.” 

 _If only_ , he repeated to himself a few times. The words swirled in the orange light of the evening, burning away in the still heavy air of that summer day. Once they turned to ashes, came an unsettling, soaring feeling; a realization. Erasing the memory of Hyunggu would not undo what had been done; the realm of death rarely gave back what it took. It would put an end to a painful storyline but the pain itself would survive. Humans’ mortality made them nothing more than an evening in a god’s life, a season at most. Their memories, however, lived on. Resentments and joys and fears were passed on, shaped their eyes and hearts, and, in a way, the world itself. Bad names given to gods followed them in their eternity. 

Ashes stuck to Yuto’s tongue. There was no meaning to be given or found; erasing Hyunggu’s existence from the Thunder’s mind wouldn’t bring back the dead. It would not take or give any meaning to the rensack of an entire world, the scars left on trees and minds, the death of a prince that was loved. A spectacle was unfolding and he was in it - only not acting. 

  
Yuto looked towards the sky. Soon darkness would fall on the world, but would not reach the quiet room he left Hyunggu in. 

The echoes of Hyunggu’s gratitude felt wrong and he did not wish to be seen as something he was not: a savior, a benevolent god. Powerless and minuscule, was how Yuto felt in that moment.

 

“Of all gods, this whore chose to anger the most ornery, brutal ones." 

Yuto raised his head. His father was just coming home, removing his helmet to reveal an amused smile. There was only his oldest brother and him to greet their father on that evening.   
The Sun spoke of Hyunggu to his sons with no shame. His tone was mean and complacent. It was summer, his prime, and the Sun was difficult to bear. Hui and Yuto shared a glance without speaking; their father would drink a lot tonight and Yuto could not help but wish he would drink enough to pass out drunk, drink enough not to make his way into a bed that was not his tonight. 

“Your words are harsh.” Yuto said, stroking one of the stallions to keep himself grounded. His voice was not as strong as he wished it to be but the words stood between them.  

“Your heart is tender, my son and his kind eats hearts like yours.” His father laughed.  “His mother and him, his kind, have been too cocky for far too long. Too many humans pray to them.” 

“We should go.” Hui said loud enough but their Father was not listening. 

“He played, like his kind do. They aim for the weakest of hearts and he thought he could do it with the Thunder. Thought he could do it with me. He is not that cocky now that he shares my bed.” 

One of the stallions neighed loudly. Distracted by the noise, the Sun stopped talking. He gave his helmet to his oldest son and left them both with the stallions.  

“Are you well?” Yuto heard Hui ask with concern. His brother’s voice guided him back to his surroundings. Once he lifted his head, he found Hui staring at the stallion’s rump Yuto petted, eyes round and lips parted. Under Yuto’s hands, the print of his hand; the darkest of blacks staring back at him. He jolted back, apologetic and confused, and he run off. Hui’s voice rose again in the distance but it did not pull him back this time. 

He stumbled a few times, running fast under the gaze of a moonless sky. He was breathing heavy and loud, and the fire inside him was gasping for more.  
His legs took him to the sea. Only, this time, he had no intent of taking anything from the waters. He went in, mad and burning. He felt all of it; the cold and the heaviness of it, the strength that birthed a beautiful son that . The seawater wrapped itself around him, and he surrendered, let it wash over his chest, let himself sink. The Sea was what the Sea was; grand and mighty, giving and ferocious. But he did not fear, for against him was not an enemy’s touch. It took him in and stared at his heart, and it challenged the flames. The breath of the sea was comforting. It was familiar, like the sea of his dreams was to him now. It was all that Hyunggu felt like.

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> life gets in the way of writing yuto and hyunggu falling in love!! unacceptable. 
> 
> i'm determined on finishing this by the end of summer but then,,, i'm a terrible writer and i cant make promises ;;
> 
> feedback is always appreciated uwu
> 
> come yell at me on twitter if you want : [@PlNKINO](https://twitter.com/PlNKINO) or on my cc [here](https://curiouscat.me/PlNKINO)
> 
> thank u if youre reading this. it really means a lot ♡


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